‘The result is a bit of a gut-punch’: Jaguars settle for 1-1 tie after Johnston’s late goal

**Ankeny Centennial’s Ava Martin falls to the turf while battling for the ball during Tuesday’s game at Johnston. The two teams fought to a 1-1 tie. (Photo courtesy of Robin Litchfield)**

For the second time in five days, the third-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls’ soccer team battled hard for 80 minutes only to come away with a tie.

Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at No. 7 Johnston was a lot more unsatisfying than Friday’s 1-1 tie against No. 4 Waukee, which featured a tying goal with about 8 minutes left from Centennial senior Ava Martin–who became the school’s all-time scoring leader.

This time, it was the Dragons who scored a late goal to forge the tie. They got the equalizer with 7 minutes remaining.

**Ankeny Centennial goalkeeper Rylee Litchfield makes one of her three saves during Tuesday’s game. (Photo courtesy of Robin Litchfield)**

“The result is a bit of a gut-punch for us, but credit to Johnston–they were able to get out of the game what they wanted,” said Centennial coach Chris Allen.

The Jaguars took 15 shots in the game, three of them by defender Maddison Balashaitis. That pressure eventually resulted in an own goal in the 42nd minute.

“We did well to put pressure on them during the first 20 (minutes) of the second half,” Allen said. “Although our goal will go down as an own goal, the pressure we had them under likely contributed to the frantic play that led to it. The girls should be proud of the ways we were generating chances in that portion of the half.

**Ankeny Centennial’s Maddison Balashaitis takes a direct kick during Tuesday’s game. She had three of the Jaguars’ 15 shots in the game. (Photo courtesy of Robin Litchfield)**

“However, we have to also prioritize protecting the lead, and unfortunately, that didn’t happen for us tonight. We got caught in a transitional moment, and Johnston did well to execute on their shot,” he added.

Goalkeeper Rylee Litchfield made three saves for Centennial, which is now 3-2-2 in the CIML Conference and 10-3-2 overall. The Dragons’ records are 3-3-2 and 7-3-4.

Allen said his team simply needs to convert more of its scoring opportunities.

**Ankeny Centennial’s Josie Ehlinger looks to take a shot during Tuesday’s game. (Photo courtesy of Robin Litchfield)**

“We are doing well to create chances, but we need to be more clinical in our decisions and our execution when we have those chances,” he said. “The girls are capable, and we can move forward from these draws, but we have to do so soon.”

The Jaguars will close out their conference season on Friday with a game at Southeast Polk. The Rams are 1-5 in the league and 6-5-2 overall.

Southeast Polk took a four-game winning streak into Tuesday’s contest against No. 12 Dowling Catholic.